This invention relates to a process for producing fluorine-substituted aliphatic hydrocarbons, and more particularly to a process for producing linear hydrofluorocarbons containing end group hydrogen substituents.
There has been recent concern that completely halogenated chlorofluorocarbons may be detrimental toward the Earth's ozone layer. Consequently, there is a world-wide effort to use halogen substituted hydrocarbons which contain fewer chlorine substituents. For example, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), a hydrofluorocarbon which has zero ozone depletion potential is being considered as a replacement for dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12) in refrigeration systems. The production of hydrofluorocarbons, (i.e., compounds containing only carbon, hydrogen and fluorine), has been the subject of renewed interest to provide environmentally desirable products for use as solvents, blowing agents, refrigerants, cleaning agents, aerosol propellants, heat transfer media, dielectrics, fire extinguishants and power cycle working fluids (see, e.g., PCT International Publication No. W093/02150).